Pain

Pain is experienced by as many as two thirds of people with MS. People in the advanced stages of MS can have pain related to spasticity, infection, pressure sores, headache, muscle contractures, as well as muscle and bone pain that can come from their limited ability to move.

Survey studies of MS pain tell us that people with greater disability scores or advanced MS, and those with greater time from diagnosis, are more likely to experience pain.

In this section we discuss the possible sources of pain in advanced MS and ways to treat it and cope with it. Pain is usually all-consuming and miserable for the person experiencing it and very distressing for family members to observe. Pain deserves serious attention from both Care Givers and health care providers, particularly GPs and nurses.